A family takes a selfie outside the gate of the recently expanded portion of the Grand Mosque. The five projects under the third expansion of the Grand Mosque, inaugurated this week by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, include the King Abdullah Expansion Structure, courtyards, tunnels, buildings for service facilities and the first ring road. The expansion projects include the King Abdullah Expansion Structure, courtyards, tunnels, buildings for service facilities and the first ring road. The entire expansion project aims to accommodate an additional 1.2 million pilgrims. The courtyards of the mosque's new expansion aim to hold more than 250,000 worshipers. The late King Abdullah had laid the foundation for the expansion of the Grand Mosque in August 2011. The project is estimated to cost over SR100 billion and the Ministry of Finance is supervising it. The total area of the existing mosque is 356,000 sq. meters accommodating 770,000 worshipers, while the new expansion covers an area of 456,000 sq. meters. The expansion projects include a main building consisting of six floors for praying, 680 electric escalators and 24 elevators for the people with special needs and 21,000 toilets and places of ablution. — SPA
